Real-World Trade-In Values

nmchop · June 2002

I could use some advice. I'm trying to trade my 2000 Dodge Stratus ES (32,400 miles, leather, PW, PL, PS, leather, V6, CC, CD changer, am/fm cassette, no sunroof). Awesome shape

for a 1998 Maxima SE (52,500 miles, Loaded minus leather, moonroof, Bose. great shape minus a little sun damage on the plastic that covers the fake wood near the A/C vents, easy to fix.

I've got the dealership up to $9500 for my trade and down to $14,995 on the Maxima. Is this a Fair deal? Is this a good move for me (Maxima is one of my dream rides).

Thanks

nmchop · June 2002

the Maxima has NO leather, but it does have the Bose and a moonroof.

I didn't think I made that clear in above post.

dtwleungnyc · June 2002

I will let my co-worker know about the numbers you have given.

odd1 · June 2002

From Houston.

cwrtlm · June 2002

I had posted a quote for a 99 Dodge Neon back a few days ago, from the Bowling Green, KY area. It was a manual, sport, with no extras and 66,000 miles and a major squeek in the front end. NADA gave me 4,700 and I was able to bargain with my Saturn Dealer and get 4,900 out of it. I was shooting for 5,000 but I settled for 4,900. Just thought I would update and maybe be able to help out someone with a similar vehicle.
Thanks

rumor23 · June 2002

I have a camry, which is supposed to be a good trade in. I need a biger car, so I have to trade down due to cost, car lots want to give me 1000.00 less than book value for trade. This is a 98 with only 38,000 miles on it. How do you make it clear thatthis won't work. I know the lots sell these for 13000.00 and they only want to give me 8000.00????

scamutz · June 2002

My wife has a '00 Focus LX sedan with 34k miles. It is in perfect condition inside and out, 5 speed, dark green with beige interior. Can you please give me an idea of a realistic trade-in value? Is there any market for these if I were to try and sell it myself? Thanks!

phollie · June 2002

Hey folks,
Any ideas on a Gold '99 RX300?
No blemishes or marks
61k
Tires could use replacing soon
New transmission (brand new on a factory warrenty replacement)

bretfraz · June 2002

Give the guys all the details on your Camry and they'll give you an accurate price for a trade in. Be specific as possible:
Color,
trim level,
options,
regional location,
details on damage or repairs especially if they include paintwork,
overall condition of the car (tires, interior, is it stinky?)

$8000 might be a low price or it might be accurate. The more honest and detailed you are in your description, the more accurate Bill and Terry can be.

jacatlga · June 2002

Need to know what this car would be worth if never any paint/body work and it's value now. Everyone has a different idea. An appraiser said says 5000 to 7000 diminished value. Dealer wants to cut it about 10k on trade. It's an O1 with 8K miles and every option except contour seats. Nav,cd,phone,seat warmers,xenons w/washers. It's brillant silver with ash grey hides. Perfect inside and out except for 2 stone nicks on the hood. It had $6500 damage from one of those fxxxxxx SUV's backing into the nose. The bumper of the suv went through the grille and hood into the supports. The hitch I'm sure they never use chewed holes through the $2100 bumper cover/ grille housing. New hood, fender, bumper cover. Also door and quarter painted due to dealer incident. An M-B exclusive shop in Atlanta did the work and even I can't find a flaw. I can spot a ding on a moving car a mile away ...lol. Ready for the CLK to leave the corral. Need to know realistic value and value before stupid in the suv (who, by the way, drove away. no note, nothing) decided to backup with out looking thru their over tinted windows. Insurance company is throwing a fit over the diminished appraisal. I personally think they should have to pay what the dealer deducts because I trade my cars. I an NOT in the car selling business. Anyway, thought another opinion may help my case and get an idea of what to ask for this car. Sorry for the book but I have 2 friends who are at the same autions you are almost every week and have been many times myself. So, I know details are important in the luxury market. Any wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated.

dkuhajda · June 2002

Neon's are all over the place here. 99's 5 speed, a/c, detailed and dealer warranty go for $5700 on the lot. Anything close to $1500 ACV trade in less than that and you were not taken.

dkuhajda · June 2002

$8000 is about right on a 98 Camry right now. The new redesigned Camry is out in force, the 98's are all coming off lease and there are a bunch of them out there used for the dealers to pick up at the auction for that price and less.

The ONLY way you the dealer will look at more is if you can provide FULL maintenance records per the Toyota manual for severe service duty. Then the car will also need to be in ready to sell condition totally detailed and cleaned up before you try and trade it in.

I see the 98's 40K going as Toyota Certified Used Camry's for $13,000 locally. Which would put about the breakeven trade in price at under $10,000.

rumor23 · June 2002

Thanks for the help, it is just so frustrating. This is what I was hoping to be my wild card in getting a newer larger vehicle and turns out that I guess I was expecting too much. All service has been done at Toyota including oil changes, but that didn't seem to make a difference in their decision. I may have to hold on to it a little longer and save the cash down for a different car. Thanks again

dkuhajda · June 2002

sandra16 · June 2002

I asked about a 01, low-miles Camry in post 7692 and got a couple of answers and a request for follow-up. Didn't get the grey one in question. Once DMV verified the mileage the car's price magically inflated $1,000! (Listed now at $18,083.)

Ended up getting a '01 white Camry LE (with the ABS I wanted that the other didn't have) that had a few more miles (18K). I was hoping to get one with around 15K miles, but this car was on a local dealer lot, and I was treated like a human being! Salesman had been here for 12 yrs and had the authority to "do the deal" himself. Since it was not a Toyota lot, and the car had sat for a while we got it for $14,800--which offset the 3,000 miles extra in my eyes.

Would not touch my trade ('92 Corolla). Was given an offer and told that I should keep the car and "have fun with it!" I really didn't mind this since I really like the Corolla--great car. Hubby just wanted me to have airbags.

Happy I could keep my $ at home. Wish I could have gotten a deal at the Toyota lot (this is where I have the Corolla serviced and the staff is awesome), but their 01 Camrys were 28K-42K miles and as we say in the South, "They were right proud of them cars!" Did not even offer to go on a "search and find" for the car I wanted.

Thanks for all your help! I'm happy with the deal I got--only damage to the car is a broken cup-holder!

peachtree103 · June 2002

I'll leave it to Bill & Terry to give you a $$$ figure for the diminished value, but be aware that, in Georgia, your insurance company IS required to pay for the diminished value of your car, in addition to the actual cost of repair. Good Luck.

stickguy · June 2002

Whats a good real world price for a '99 Miata (sitting at a Honda dealer in Maryland).

Dark green base model, cloth insides, 5-speed. From a drive by and pictures, looks clean, seems to have new treads.

32,000 miles

Standard equipment, none of the "goodies" like sports package or LSD.

akangl · June 2002

Is Bill still around?? I got a good one for him, saw it in Anchorage. Just got done spending 2 weeks there with my daughter, she was sick and in the hospital. Bill.....where are you?? Psst....its a Jag....hehehe

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... It's summer time, and everyone wants a Convert ..

This a base, no p/windows .. but they are still popular, and the miles are low for this 99 .. $11,5/$12 and some change should take it home ..

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... We are glad that things worked out ..!

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... Whew, that's a shame .. these are wonderful vehicles, this one is the right color, right toys and it has nooo miles, and are worth a few Peso's right now ...

It's hard too say what the "real deal " worth is, with out feeling, touching, smelling and running a Elco around it ... One advantage is, (if there is one .l.o.l.) the vehicle was standing still when it got hit. But, let's just "assume" this is one "Jam Up" job on this Benz .. these are doing in and around the $53/$54's at the block if they are baby dolls.

Let me play the devils advocate here for a minute -- if the dealer knows it's been hit, he will want to be in the mid to high $40's .. but, if this is one "jam up" perfect job across the board, then this is the same dealer that "might" pay the $50's at the block on a identical CLK they might need tommorow. If I were you, I would visit a Benz dealer or two, and get some other figures, they may hit it for big $$ .. the current Benz dealer kinda has you over a barrel, but if the other Benz dealers appraise the vehicle with the same figures, then it's off to the Ins co.

Hey, let us know .. the plot thickens.

Terry.

PS, what auctions do your friends go too ..?

rroyce10 · July 2002

..... 2WD ..?

4WD .....?

Options .....?

Area ..........?

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... Ok, we have a LX with a handshaker and a few too many miles ..

If it's nice and clean .. you should be around the mid to high $6's ..

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... The miles are ultra low for the year ..

CE ...?

LE .....?

XLE ......?

Options .....?

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

....... Happy New year, Happy Birthday .. and Happy 4th of July all rolled into one l..o..l... -- You did good ... real good.

Someone fell down and hit there head on that one .. l.o.l..

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

Thanks for the help ...!

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

You are very welcome ...

Terry :-)

rroyce10 · July 2002

...... Sounds like these guys are trying to get your biz. .. $9,5 for yours is all the money ..

Here is a better way to look at it. Forget their price, your price, his price -- "the only difference" -- "that makes a difference" --- "is the difference."

See if you can trade him for your vehicle ... and $5ish "difference", plus the TTL ..

Terry ;-)

rroyce10 · July 2002

.... Hey, where is Bill these days ... is he in Maui again ...? :-)

stickguy · July 2002

Terry: Thanks for the hit on the Miata. $14,500 sounded awful high.

One more: another '99, silver (I think, ad is B&W), 33K, has leather so I guess that is an LS?

How much more for the higher line/different color? This one is at an Acura dealer, listed at $12,995.

Haven't seen it, so can't comment on condition.

rroyce10 · July 2002

... Sounds kinda cheap .. leather, p/w, p/mirrors and silver is a great color and the miles are low for the year... 99, "I think" the leather can be black or tan.

Hey, start em' at $11,5 and see what happens .. $12+ the ttl should take it home ..

Terry.

lewisjb · July 2002

Looking to sell my 2000 Silver Mazda MPV; has just under 31,000 miles on it. ES version, leather seats, built-in entertainment system (drop down LCD screen, VCR), 8-speaker sound, 6-disc CD, sun roof. Has one big scratch on rear hatch and scrape on pillar of front passenger window. Dealer serviced. What do you think the trade-in value is? Private party sale?

jacatlga · July 2002

Terry,

Thanks for the help. Sounds like 7K to 10K is pretty accurate on the diminished value. Which is what I'm going to shoot for. I live 10 mins from Atlanta Classic and I love my Service Rep. Can't say the same for the rest of the bunch. But, nothing is perfect. I've forgotten the name of the auction. I think Florida Auto Auction. Edge of Orlando. Red Oak High Line Sales in Atlanta and Manhime (sp). Mostly the Orlando and Atlanta auctions. Think the Pa. auction is better for selling than buying. Prices seem much higher. NICE cars though! My Atlanta friend is selling off-lease 7 series Beemers like crazy right now. Lot of car for the price of an Accord.

Again thanks ... I'll let you know what happens with the CLK. With my luck I'll have to drive until the wheels fall off.

Jeff

wiggett · July 2002

I have a 2000 Maxima with lots of miles (78k). It's in great shape but there are a few paint chips and scratches (from car doors in parking lots, etc)

How badly would this affect my trade-in price?

Also - whole new can of worms - is it better economics to get another 70-100k miles out of the car or trade in while it still has some value?

Thanks for any advice!

phollie · July 2002

Reply to your reply.

RX300 w/60k miles
auto
basically, the works for the (no nav)
we live in Seattle
awd
gold
Thanks. I hope I answered all the questions

jpesci · July 2002

I need a trade in/private sale value. The car is in the Las Vegas, NV area, 14k miles. silver exterior. all EX options, sunroof, auto locks and windows.

jbpalos · July 2002

I wonder if anyone can offer an opinion on whether it's worth it to make repairs to a pretty high-mileage car right before getting rid of it.

A 96 Saturn SL1 with 136K -- needs about $600-800 worth of repairs (battery is being drained, so these have to be made for it to run). Car is auto, A/C, everything works, looks decent inside and out, but I'm not expecting much, if anything, in trade. Any thoughts?

Thanks in Advance

rroyce10 · July 2002

...... I don't have to tell ya .. those miles are a l i t t l e - on the high side ... l.o.l.. and we don't have any Go Juice.

Sooooo, lets say around $1,0/$1,5 if you get some stuff done.

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2002

..... 60 klicks, have you ever heard of an Airplane ..l.o.l...

Tranny failure .. not much of that going on in Lexus Land.

Well it's an 4WD .. so with the miles and such, in and around the mid to high $18's ..

Terry.

rumor23 · July 2002

It is a 98, 385000 miles, power everything but the seats. amfm/cassette. Only serviced by toyota. What more could they want? I went to Pontiac to look at an Aztec, they didn't want to give me payoff. Today I looked at a Mazda mpv. Not sure what they will do for me yet.

dtwleungnyc · July 2002

Did you type in an extra 0 in there? 8)

Kirstie_H · July 2002

A journalist is working on a consumer spending outlook story that examines the second half of the year: "I would really like to interview some consumers about how they are feeling right now, given a still depressed stock market, an alarming number of accounting scandals and a tough job market. I would love to know whether you plan to spend less in the second half, save more, etc. What are your financial worries (job security)? Are you worried that the economic recovery is losing steam, and things may start getting worse? Are you shopping for a vehicle, or holding off right now?"

Please direct all responses asap by end of day Tuesday, July 2, 2002, to jfallon@edmunds.com.

rroyce10 · July 2002

..... Sounds nice, if you like vans .. l.o.l. the miles are ..ok, it's an ES with all the stuff ..

If it's clean, I read where the kids get traveled a lot in it .. Clean means:

Little or no parking lot kisses, new rubber, no coffee, no coke, no hamster stains in the carpet, headliner hasn't been used for any "art deco" projects .. and still looks newish, if so, then you should be in and around that low $14 figure on a trade -- if not, start deducting ....

If you decide to go down Retail rd .. then make it look new, through it in the paper for $16,9 and take the first $15,5/$16,5.

Good luck ....

Terry.

eli2005 · July 2002

I have a 2000 Saab 9-3 with 8500 miles on it. It is a 4-dr, silver, hb, snrf, pwr, lthr, cd, abs, spoiler, 5spd, cruise, a/c. The buy out will be $16400 in december 2002. I am thinking of buying it out and selling to benefit from my low miles. I live in MA and Saabs are v.popular. Only problem (this does not show up on carfax) is that i was involved in a front end collision(no airbag deployment) that entailed $6k of body work(no frame issues) a month after i got the car. You can't tell to look at it but they replaced the radiator and a/c compressor. Should i try to sell this car, and for how much? or should i turn it in and move on? Car is in excellent physical (no dings or scratches) and mechanical condition. Probably wouldnt even need to be detailed to sell.

kkaram1 · July 2002

I had posted a while back about a 1999 Jetta wolfsburg automatic, pushing 76k, red, lived in Boston MA most of it's life and now has a few scrapes from lousy parallel parkers! Clean otherwise, drives well, brand new muffler, power moonroof, rear spoiler... Any idea a fair price for trade or retail?
Thank you!
-kim

jpesci · July 2002

I need a trade in/private sale value. The car is in the Las Vegas, NV area. 14k miles. Silver exterior. all EX options, sunroof, auto locks and windows.

dvlwthn · July 2002

I found a 1994 Acura Legend..It has 76 K miles, and the dealer is asking $10,9 for it. I'm thinking I can bargain him down to $9,000 or $9,5.
It seems to be in good shape. The interior and trunk are squeaky clean. He told me I can have it checked out by a mechanic if I want. I need to know what things I should check for before buying this car. The oil dipstick appeared to be kinda dirty. I couldn't tell if it was dried and baked on oil or if it's rust. I've started up the car--and it seems to start and run smoothly. Haven't driven it yet. He told me it really needed an oil change, and they didn't get to before putting it out on the lot.--which was true cuz the oil itself was dark too. I didn't see any pieces of metal in the oil.
Any Advice would be appreciated.

stickguy · July 2002

I posted this on the classics board also(see which answer I like better)!

I have been toy shopping, and became intriqued by RX-7 converts. Found a private sale, but have no idea of realistic pricing.

a 1989 RX7 convertible, white/blue insides/black top. 2 owners (friends) since '91, all service records (dealer), said to be real clean, never hit, x-cond, etc. A 5 speed.

114,000 miles, engine pretty much untouched.

asking $4,500. Is this ballpark? Anything special to look out for on these?

I haven't seen it yet, all this info is from the owner.

dvlwthn · July 2002

I found a 1994 Acura Legend..It has 76 K miles, and the dealer is asking $10,9 for it. I'm thinking I can bargain him down to $9,000 or $9,5.
It seems to be in good shape. The interior and trunk are squeaky clean. He told me I can have it checked out by a mechanic if I want. I need to know what things I should check for before buying this car. The oil dipstick appeared to be kinda dirty. I couldn't tell if it was dried and baked on oil or if it's rust. I've started up the car--and it seems to start and run smoothly. Haven't driven it yet. He told me it really needed an oil change, and they didn't get to before putting it out on the lot.--which was true cuz the oil itself was dark too. I didn't see any pieces of metal in the oil.
Any Advice would be appreciated.

rerenov8r · July 2002

VERY high miles. Not going to be a desirable car. Current ('02 Maxima) are screaming deals...loaded for around $20K.

If by a "few paint chips" you mean the kind that a day's worth of touch-up painting and buffing would pretty much get all of 'em you might be OK, BUT if you mean some are REALLY noticable and maybe even some rust, and the doors REALLY need to be repainted-- THAT would be bad.

I would gues most dealers would give you around $8500-9000 in trade. You might get closer to $12K selling it outright, but the mileage is scary, and you'd have to find a buyer quickly...

If you are wondering about the economics of hanging onto to the Maxima until 100K (which given your current mileage would occur in about 10 months...) I would say that it is a losing proposition, DEPENDING upon how much you owe on the 2000 Maxima -- if you owe less than $8K I would get rid of it NOW. That way you'd still have almost $5K for a replacement, which is almost 25% of the cost of a new Maxima & they'd give you a good rate. If you owe more than 8K you really need to figure out how quick you can pay it off. If you CANNOT pay it off in 6 months or so you are in bad shape, as there really won't be much left for to take out of it after you get to 90K miles [expect value to drop $2500 from trade-in & retail]( which you'll do in about 6 months...).

OTOH The Maxima is a pretty nice car with decent reliability. You might do ok driving it into the ground. You could get 200K miles on the motor and still be able get $1000 for it...

Good Luck!

Real-World Trade-In Values

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles